PRIME Minister David Cameron was today confronted by a member of the public as he visited Calderdale, which was affected by the recent devastating floods.

His visit came after the Environment Agency this morning put the River Calder on flood alert. They say Brearley Fields in Mytholmroyd are expected to flood, but elsewhere is unaffected.

Mr Cameron was leaving the town hall in Todmorden when Kathleen Simpson surprised him as he was getting into his car.

Ms Simpson asked the Prime Minister a number of animated questions about local issues, including the floods, as he stood on the pavement.

Mr Cameron had just left a meeting with council officials and emergency services workers about the deluge which hit the town on Friday night.

He said: "Longer term, we need another deal with the insurance companies so they do what it says on the tin - insurance, they provide people with cover against flooding.

"The Government is in discussion with them and we are going to have a robust discussion to make sure they have the cover that people deserve."

Earlier, he visited the flood-damaged home of Sarah-Jayne Robins in Todmorden.

Miss Robins was trapped for 12 hours upstairs in her home when water poured out of the nearby canal.

His visit came after Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker asked the PM in PMQ's yesterday what the government were doing about insurance companies who do not offer cover to flood-risk properties.

The PM told him the government is trying to encourage insurance companies to provide cover to properties in flood-hit areas.

David Cameron responded in Prime Ministers Questions to Calder Valley MP Craig Whittaker, who asked what the government could do to help Calderdale’s flood victims.

The PM said: “On flood insurance, we are going to work very hard with the industry to continue to deliver widely available and affordable household insurance in flood-risk areas.”
Craig Whittaker, whose constituency covers much of the flood-hit area told the PM: “The Calder Valley flood victims Facebook page and the Community Foundation for Calderdale JustGiving page show great community spirit, and the fact that the arts festival, Mytholmroyd gala and handmade parade are all going ahead this week shows the community’s resilience and, also, that the Calder Valley is open for businesses.
“Can my right honourable friend update our flooded communities on how negotiations are going with the insurance industry, so that they can get insurance in the future and at a reasonable price?”
The Prime Minister replied: “I quite understand why my honourable friend wants to raise that issue.
“I believe that more than 550 properties in his constituency alone were affected by these really damaging and dangerous floods.
“I absolutely join him in praising the resilience of his community, having suffered as my constituency suffered in 2007.
He continued: “Although the recovery from floods is extremely difficult, the resilience of our communities and the amount of public and community service that comes out of them is remarkable and deserves our praise.”

The Environment Agency say 900 properties were hit by last week's flooding in Calderdale.